Are your Resident Camps/Summer Camps opening?

[yknot]

1 minute ago, Jackdaws said:

In troops with a varied age range and rank range this maybe a challenge.   Not all first year scouts have the swimming badge thus they can't do the water sports and Star and Life scouts aren't going to sit around and do those what many consider first year badges like First Aid. So keeping them together may not be the best.  Several of our older scouts usually opt for the extreme challenges at camp as they have already been there and got the badge for it on the other classes. 

 

 

Undoubtedly, and I understand that, but I think it's a choice between having kids and adult leaders come home healthy or not. Traditional camp structure and activities are going to have to be adjusted this summer. You had mentioned doing your own camp and I think anyone considering this option as a back up is also mulling these kinds of strategies.

 

[RememberSchiff]

"...BSA’s financial position and general operations have already been significantly impaired by COVID-19; BSA has cancelled events and programming, its fundraising activities have slowed considerably, and BSA furloughed about 60% of its workforce effective April 1, 2020. (Id. ¶ 7.) BSA also closed nearly all of its 175 Scout Shops, and expects some of those locations to remain closed well into the summer. (Id.) Moreover, BSA is also facing the potential cancellation of its summer programming at its high adventure facilities, which historically provided a material portion of BSA’s annual revenue. (Id.). Overall, BSA estimates that COVID-19 will have an impact of over $60 million on its liquidity position."

Doc 497, page 3 filed 04/28/2020 In Chapter 11 by BSA attorneys

https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/815432_497.pdf

[Eagle94-A1]

42 minutes ago, Jackdaws said:

In troops with a varied age range and rank range this maybe a challenge.   Not all first year scouts have the swimming badge thus they can't do the water sports and Star and Life scouts aren't going to sit around and do those what many consider first year badges like First Aid. So keeping them together may not be the best.  Several of our older scouts usually opt for the extreme challenges at camp as they have already been there and got the badge for it on the other classes. 

You would be very surprised with what the youth can come up with. In my limited international experience, BSA is the anomaly with organized, individual classes for summer camp. In Europe and Canada, the patrols and troop as a whole decide what activities to do. At the 2 camps I worked at in the UK, Kingsdown International Scout Campsite and Youlbury International Scout Campsite (the world's oldest, continuously used Scout camp I might add), troops could pick from a host of activities the camp offered, a la carte style, or do their own thing.

And the troops and Scouters I came into contact did the same thing as the UK Scouts. These folks came from France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia, Russia, Ireland, and Finland.

 

[Eagle1993]

It looks like the CDC & White House are working on guidance that includes summer camp recommendations.  

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cdc-draft-proposal-lays-out-phased-reopening-of-childcare-religious-institution-food-industry-amid-coronavirus

"As for summer camps, the CDC draft recommends that camps be restricted to children of essential workers in phase one, with phase two welcoming children who live in the local area only. By phase three, the CDC recommends that camps restrict attendance to those from limited transmission areas."

I don't see any way High Adventure camps open this year given this guidance and if you live in high transmission areas you are probably out of luck for all camps all summer.  BSA summer camps would struggle to open depending on what is defined by "local area" and timing of phase two in each state. 

So far, GSUSA cancelled but my kids other camps are still open (Zoo, local universities, local museums, local ecology centers).  GSUSA asked everyone to not ask for refunds and just use the fees for future years .. 

[Cburkhardt]

Well … after our Scoutmaster Staff talked this through over the weekend I think we may conduct our own Troop summer camp if the Council cancels its summer operation.  We are fortunate to have two physicians and one public health officer among our parents, so we will have great advice on what (if anything) we are able to do safely.  We can pick a close location and have a very large Troop Committee (most families belong) to help.  I have to say I think I was led into this by the many comments on this site from those of you who do it already.  Perhaps people can begin posting specifics on what has succeeded with single troop summer camps?  This may be ripe for a new Topic.

[RememberSchiff]

31 minutes ago, Cburkhardt said:

Well … after our Scoutmaster Staff talked this through over the weekend I think we may conduct our own Troop summer camp if the Council cancels its summer operation.  We are fortunate to have two physicians and one public health officer among our parents, so we will have great advice on what (if anything) we are able to do safely.  We can pick a close location and have a very large Troop Committee (most families belong) to help.  I have to say I think I was led into this by the many comments on this site from those of you who do it already.  Perhaps people can begin posting specifics on what has succeeded with single troop summer camps?  This may be ripe for a new Topic.

 

 

Edited May 3, 2020 by RememberSchiff

[HashTagScouts]

We are beginning the groundwork of plans for our own summer camp, hopefully the last week of July.  Normally we would have been at camp week 1 (June 28-July 4).  We are looking at later into July to allow our local area to settle, and let families adjust to anticipated "re-opening" the state in June (we are in MA).  We have an ASM who's family owns a tract of land in Maine with lake frontage, so we also have to respect local governance there.  Thankfully the property is abutted by other large private tracts, so we will be nicely distanced from others and will allow us to sufficiently be isolated, both for our benefit and that of others.  Several of of our youth, including mine and our SM, are camp staffers, so we will let them determine our daily scheduling, but we are probably going to make our camp week Sunday-Thursday or Monday-Friday, and try to avoid higher travel days, so that when we inevitably have to stop on the way to/way back we avoid big crowds at rest stops.  Primarily, I want us to have our BSA guards give opportunity to the young kids who need swimming MB and rank requirements, and offer some badges like pioneering, mammal study, cooking, geocaching, nature, etc. for the mornings. If we have an adult who wants to offer something in the handicrafts area, and is going to take it upon themselves to have the needed supplies and materials, that will be fine but don't want to leave it at the feet of the kids to have to do the gathering for it.  Mostly, as it will probably be our first overnighting opportunity in 2020, we want the kids to have plenty of time to just relax and make their plans on the fly for the afternoons (pick up wiffleball games, working on skills, taking hikes, etc.).  We'll be running a virtual Communications MB session next week, and I anticipate we'll have 5-6 kids working on that, which gives us a good resource to have them running opening or closing ceremony at our camp, a Scout Vespers one evening, and I'll let one of them be the "camp commish" to run morning/evening colors MC for the week to complete their badge requirements.   

[Jameson76]

We are in the planning stages for a Troop summer camp at a State Park about 40 minutes from us.  We may get +/- 20 - 25 Scouts.  There is a large committee to support and the park has lake, swimming beach, trail, mt bike routes, etc.

Should be fun and will likely be about 1/3 the cost

Our council needs to to move beyond "planning" to have camp and give a firm YES or NO.  Though honestly a firm YES is unlikely, so we may go on our own.

[ItsBrian]

3 hours ago, Jameson76 said:

 

Our council needs to to move beyond "planning" to have camp and give a firm YES or NO.  Though honestly a firm YES is unlikely, so we may go on our own.

I wish the councils around me would decide by now. I guess they aren’t taking any chances to lose revenue.

[swilliams]

12 hours ago, ItsBrian said:

I wish the councils around me would decide by now. I guess they aren’t taking any chances to lose revenue.

While I share your sentiment to some degree (it would be nice to know if we're going, or not), if they had to decide right now, they would decide 'no'.  The longer they're able to postpone the decision, the greater the chances of summer camp being a 'go'.  Those increased chance might be very, very slight, but I don't think any group would be comfortable saying yes to group gatherings right now.  

Heck, I can't even get my first-year scouts and their parent to come to the local middle school and do the orienteering course I set up.  I posted a YouTube video of my own kids showing them how to orient the map and take a bearing, so the other scouts could do it on their own.  I offered the option of having myself, another YPT leader, and a Troop Guide be there off to the side in case they had questions, so we could shout directions to them, haha.  No takers, even though for one of the scouts it's one of only three requirements he has left for First Class.

Edited May 4, 2020 by swilliams

[MacBrave]

Crossroads of America Council has just cancelled all their summer camps for 2020, although they are offering an "Adventure Box" option for Cub Scouts and a virtual "Summer Experience" for Scouts BSA units:  https://www.crossroadsbsa.org/resources/camp-2020/

 

[Eagle1993]

Not a fan of the virtual camps, though I appreciate the effort.  Our summers are fairly short here and my kids will have had enough of virtual learning by June (over 3 months of school).  I have no desire for them to be watching more videos during summer.  If camps cannot occur, I'll punt on the virtual programing and have them play outside without the structure of video guidance.  If camp is cancelled, I hope our Troop is allowed to put on our own.  If not, I think we will simply recommend some local parks for families to travel to and restart virtual programming (if needed) in the fall.

[5thGenTexan]

1 hour ago, Eagle1993 said:

Not a fan of the virtual camps, though I appreciate the effort.  Our summers are fairly short here and my kids will have had enough of virtual learning by June (over 3 months of school).  I have no desire for them to be watching more videos during summer.  If camps cannot occur, I'll punt on the virtual programing and have them play outside without the structure of video guidance.  If camp is cancelled, I hope our Troop is allowed to put on our own.  If not, I think we will simply recommend some local parks for families to travel to and restart virtual programming (if needed) in the fall.

If they will just let us still have meetings I am thinking about using the At Home Cub Scout Day Camp material our Council is offering for the Pack.  That way we can maybe work on the stuff together and if when August comes they can head out to the local camp for the day offering for BBs, Archery, Swimming, etc...  

[qwazse]

We have a 14 boys signed up for camp (the week starting on Father's day) and yesterday one parent asked to add their scout to the list.

[eagle90]

Pathway to Adventure Council (Chicago area) just announced the cancellation of all summer activities at their camps.